Both "up" and "down" serve the function of adding a +COMPLETE semantic value to "burn", the main difference being that "down" carries with it the additional meaning of something burning and falling down as a result (as a house might do), whereas "up" carries no actual meaning of upward direction, but simply signifies that it burned completely.
You wouldn't, for example, say that a piece of paper "burned down", but you could say that it "burned up".
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 25, 2016 5:48 PM MDT
You give a good argument, Nev. But I was thinking if I were doing a proofread of something as an editor? I would take either word OUT as redundant or not necessary as a descriptive. Burned is sufficient unless you wish to describe the end result. Then you may say completely burned. Burned up or down just seem so common, eh what?
Burned down is useless. At least burned up can be used when someone pisses you off.
This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at October 25, 2016 5:45 PM MDT
Well, sure, but in that case it depends on the meaning you want. The house nextdoor to me burned last year, but it didn't burn down. Small fire in the attic that was thankfully put out before it could do more damage.
You could also say "thoroughly burned" ;)
In Latin, the prefix con/m- has the same effect. Thus "urere" means "to burn", but "comburere" means to "burn up/down/completely". It would be nice if English had something like that.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 25, 2016 6:27 PM MDT
That kind of little words are always a mess. do doors open out or in or up or down or ...
Or how about windows. the US have those weird windows that slide upwards into a recess in the wall (and then slide down to guillotine comedians). That would really fit with 'opening up'. You just gotta open up you heart and let the language in ;-))
In the case of a structural fire, I take burn up to mean the resources have been completely exhausted. There is nothing left behind but ash. Burn down would be to be burned sufficiently enough that the remnants no longer function as or take the form of what was originally there.
In other contexts, the meanings would change. A person can be burned up pretty bad, but I don't think a person can burn down at all (in a physical sense, not emotional.) You can burn up a stack of papers or burn down a candle but not vice versa.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 25, 2016 6:01 PM MDT
I have heard the phrase "the house went up in flames" used, though never that it "burned up". The former is understandable in the sense that the flames are going upward, as is much of the ash from the fire. A house that "burns down" is basically completely destroyed. Most fires cause varying amounts of damage, from a small location to gutting the interior, without the structure being completely reduced to ash and rubble.
After I closed up and shut down business for the day a fire started in the basement and burned up my house. If it had started in the attic it would have burned down my house.
Benedict Arnold 